Italian Athletics Shines from Glasgow to China

From Glasgow to China, Italian athletics is always in the spotlight. In Taicang, China, Olympic champion Massimo Stano set the Italian record for the 20-kilometer race walk: 1h17'26" is the time with which he improves the record he already held since 2019, with 1h17'45", achieved in La Coruna. The athlete from Fiamme Oro finished second at the finish line with the same time as the Chinese Zhang Jun (1h17'26"), eighth at the Games, winner of the race and good at catching up on Stano. Third was the Brazilian world bronze medalist Caio Bonfim with a time of 1h17'44". For Stano, it was the first 20 km of the year: a performance more than comforting in view of the seasonal appointments, from the European Championships in Rome to the Paris Olympics. "I really had fun," says the Italian athlete, "and I felt good in every way, physically and mentally. For me, it's an unexpected record, but maybe it has to come when you least expect it. Above all, I am extremely happy with the sensations, even more than with the Italian record. I found myself again on the 20 kilometers, as it hadn't happened for a couple of years: Stano is back. It was a race to check the form, and also to regain confidence in this distance." The reference is to last summer's withdrawal from the World Championships in Budapest where he then placed seventh in the 35 km as the outgoing world champion. "I would not have easily accepted going to the Olympics with last season's time, 1h20'07"."